Section: News & Summaries

New rules passed by European Parliament on Thursday say that visa requirements for non-EU nationals will be reintroduced faster when EU countries face irregular migration surges or security risks. EP rapporteur for the proposal, Agustin Diaz de Mera (EPP, ES), said: ”We have succeeded in creating a more flexible and operational tool, while...

Hryvnia quotations against the dollar on the interbank currency market on Thursday strengthened to UAH 26.26/26.30 to the dollar by the middle of trade, a broker at a commercial bank has told an UNIAN correspondent. Hryvnia quotes against the euro have settled at UAH 27.5756/27.6150, while those against the Russian ruble have settled at UAH...

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini says the EU is prepared for a ”more deal-oriented relationship” with the United States after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office, but EU sanctions against Russia will be linked to peace implementation in eastern Ukraine, according to...

President of the European Council Donald Tusk has assured Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that he will do his best to ensure the ratification of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement and facilitate prompt completion of the visa-free waiver procedure for Ukraine, according to Poroshenko`s press service. The parties have had a phone...

Hopes have risen that a planned evacuation of rebel-held parts of the Syrian city of Aleppo will now begin soon, after an earlier deal collapsed, according to the BBC. Rebel sources said a new truce had been in effect from 03:00 GMT and evacuations would take place early on Thursday, the BBC wrote. Sources from the Syrian military, the...

Ukraine saw a 2.9% rise in farm produce output in January-November 2016 compared to the same period of 2015, according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Agri-businesses alone boosted output by 4%, while households increased farm produce output by 1.6% in the 11 months, year-over-year. Crop production over the period under review rose by...

The head of U.S. forces fighting Islamic State said on Wednesday the United States may target weapons seized by the group when it captured the Syrian city of Palmyra, adding the equipment posed a danger to the U.S.-led coalition in the region, according to Reuters. Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told a Pentagon video briefing that the...

Citing the steady growth of the American economy, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it would increase its benchmark interest rate for just the second time since the 2008 financial crisis, according to The New York Times. The widely expected decision moves the Fed`s benchmark rate to a range between 0.5% and 0.75%, still a very low level by...

Ukraine`s Cabinet of Ministers on December 14 approved a financial plan of national nuclear power generation holding Energoatom for 2016, which sets power generation at 74.2 billion kWh as a target. Under the plan, total tax payments to the budgets of all levels are set at UAH 8 billion by the end of the year, the Ukrainian Energy and Coal...

Combined Russian-separatist forces on Wednesday attacked the Mayorsk entry and exit checkpoint in Donetsk region, as a result of which one person has been killed and another one has been wounded, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. ”Today, terrorists have opened fire on people standing in a queue at the Mayorsk entry/exit...